Southeast Asia national team aims to recruit Coach Popov away from V-League for AFF Cup 2026

Coach Velizar Popov has drawn attention from the Myanmar Football Federation as they prepare their squad for the AFF Cup 2026.

According to information from Nhân Dân Newspaper, Coach Velizar Popov has become a notable target for the Myanmar Football Federation in their planning for the AFF Cup 2026. The national team wants to quickly stabilize the coaching staff and sees the Bulgarian coach as a suitable option due to his impressive experience working in the Southeast Asian region.

At the club level, Coach Velizar Popov has had a fairly positive start with Thể Công Viettel in the 2025/2026 season, as the soldier’s team currently ranks third on the league table. This stable performance brings many optimistic signs, but the ambition to compete for the championship still creates significant pressure, which also becomes a crucial factor directly affecting the future of the Bulgarian strategist.

The biggest challenge for Thể Công Viettel lies in squad changes. The departure of key players like Đức Chiến, Hoàng Đức, and Tiến Anh has caused the team to lose an important foundation of experience. Most remaining players are still in their development phase, forcing the coaching staff to rely heavily on the trio of foreign players to maintain competitiveness throughout the season.

In this context, the championship goal becomes a tough problem for Coach Popov to solve. The personnel disruptions make it difficult for him to build a stable core and establish a long-term playing style. The gap between the management’s expectations and the current squad also increases pressure on the coaching team.

Popov’s contract with Thể Công Viettel runs until the end of the 2026/2027 season, but Myanmar is reportedly ready to pay compensation to bring him in as the national team coach. However, the Bulgarian strategist is still fully focused on his duties with the soldier’s team and has not yet made a decision regarding his future.

Myanmar has shown goodwill by agreeing to wait until the season ends before entering deeper negotiations. Popov’s advantage lies in his previous tenure leading Myanmar’s U23 team from 2019 to 2022, where many of his former players have now become key members of the national team. This could provide a favorable foundation if the two sides reunite in the near future.

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